Between Light and Darkness
by Master Kei
Summary: Vale Okami. A boy whose destiny is intertwined with the fate of the World. Did I mention he can transform into a kyubbi? An AU Story, by a friend but the first part is rewritten in my own style. He would appreciate any reviews you guys have!
1. Chapter 1

**Between Light and Darkness **

_Ever since that fateful day…_

_The brave actions of a few prevented great losses to many…_

_Those Dark Powers, once manipulating this world, forever shattered… _

_Yet, Why? _

_Why, my friends…_

_Why did you have to DIE?!_

**Part 1- The Brothers Okami **

_Five Years Prior to the Final Battle. _

Brrrr! Brrrr! Brrrr! The familiar tones of a _very _frequently repaired alarm clock began its ancient morning ritual: sound on time, continue to make noises, and then be hurled across the room in order to greet an old acquaintance-the wall. As a cruel twist of fate this particular clock was not only cursed with apparent immortality, but also belonged to an owner who didn't realize that clocks do come with a Snooze button.

As for a dazed Vale Okami, who never seemed to understand the torment he caused to domestic appliances, more important matters were at hand. Like trying to wear stick his foot through the sleeve of his shirt without many results.

"Arhhhh…stupid clock…wait, huh?" Making out the numbers from its cracked face, realization hit Vale harder than his clock had hit the wall. "Oh crap I'm gonna be late!"

With lightning speed he finished preparing for school, pausing for a split second to fix his spiky red hair and rub the sleep out of his cerulean eyes. He inspected his reflection in the fridge mirror with intent scrutiny, before moving to what was inside. _There, good enough_, he thought. _And for breakfast I can see: An apple, nope, some of last night's pizza, maybe, yesterday's left over sushi- yeah that will do. _

Hoping that the parts he couldn't recognize were meant to be there Vale gobbled a handful of sushi while trotting towards the purgatory known as high school. In the process, he also made sure to take his lucky charm, a red orb. The gem was a souvenir he had come across when he was younger, and carried a family legacy, according to what his family had told him. He liked to carry it always.

Normally no one took the same back routes as he, which suited him fine as Vale wasn't as outgoing as many people in his classes. In his frenzied start however, he failed to notice that today his road had company. As he with a deliberate distance behind her, pretending to look at the pavement while covertly stealing glances every now and then, he recognized the fuchsia-haired girl as a classmate of his. Although Vale didn't realize it, he always seemed to be able to recognize Sakura instantly, even in a crowd. As he became easily tongue-tied and slightly flustered around her vibrant personality, the notion of speaking with her had yet to materialized

Sakura's light eyes noticed his presence almost immediately. A quick review about what little she knew of the boy, whom she recognized as Vale Okami, told her that he largely kept to himself and as a result was usually the among the last picked for sports teams. However, as she was the type of girl who liked to chatter on about anything, and seeing as how her friends had gone off ahead without her, she decided to give talking to this shy guy a chance.

"Hey, it's Vale right?" Seeing a quiet nod she continued to walk and talk in a teasing tone, "So why are you looking at me like that Vale? Are you stalking me or something?"

Although her "stalker" blushed a shade of tomato red and muttered something that could have been "sorry", but Sakura wanted more of a reaction out of him. Bursting into a peal of light-hearted laughter she inquired,

"Hey, come on, say something! Do you even know who I am?"

Success this time! Well, almost, but a verbal response had been initiated in the form of an indistinct mumbling, ending with "Sakura…"

"Jeez, Vale, that's a good start but you need to show more backbone!" The taunt, although perhaps very forward, was followed by a grin to show that she wasn't actually annoyed with him. Seeing this, Vale smiled shyly and began to close the distance between them.

"I'm sorry… Sakura, I'll try."

"You'd better! Hah. Oh, another thing, you should stop apologizing all the time."

"I know, sorry- ouch!" Sakura had flicked him in between the eyes, before reminding him that he was doing it again. After a moment of silence, the two began to laugh, for even though their minds were still unaware of it, their hearts understood that a friendship had sprung forth between an outgoing girl named Sakura and a shy guy called Vale.

It became less awkward after their merry outburst. Vale has seen Sakura take this path before, as she lived relatively close to him, but she usually traveled to school with the friends that arrived at her house each morning. Vale also discovered, quite happily, that she wasn't discouraged with his quiet nature, so long as he contributed every once in a while. She began to see that his preference to keep silent wasn't due to him harboring any antisocial feelings, and was convinced that he simply just "didn't have that many people to talk to".

"So anyhow Vale, as I was saying, what you need is more time to-". Sakura broke off the advice she was about to preach as they approached a bridge. A person in a long coat was approaching the bridge as well, wearing a hood which hid their face. He/she wouldn't have normally been a suspicious character, as facial coverings were not uncommon in the season. Yet Sakura, and to an extent Vale, were alerted by this stranger because their movements mirrored the two new friends perfectly. Almost as if this was some kind of ambush. And being on guard was the only reason Sakura saw it: the unknown pedestrian "accidentally" bumped into Vale as they crossed, and in the process she saw something red slide out of her shy friend's pocket. It must have been their lucky day, because for some reason the orb slipped from the pickpocket's finger before he could place it within a pocket of his own. Sakura cried out to Vale.

"Careful, he just took something red outta your jacket!" Having been warned just in time he beat the hooded figure to his red orb, throwing it to Sakura before it could be pilfered again. Determined to uncover the identity of Mr. Light-Fingers proved difficult as he ignored Vale by pushing him to the ground, and then lunged after Sakura. That was when Lady Luck decided that it was time to cut the two off her payroll. In a twist of almost inhuman shuffles the thief swerved past Vale and snatched Sakura's bag. Having succeeded, he promptly made his escape towards a series of alleyways. Vale jumps to his feet and pelted after him, in the process yelling out, "Don't worry Sakura I'll get your bag back!"

Weaving pursuits through several back streets took place, until pursuer and pursuant reach a dead end. Slowly, the stranger turned around to face Vale, a disturbing laugh emitting from his hood.

"What's so funny?! Just gimme back the bag and there'll be no trouble!"

Deciding not to return the bag, the thief drew a long dagger from underneath his cloak. Moving with the same speed used on the bridge he rammed Vale against a wall, pressing the blade against his exposed throat.

"NOOOO! Stop it!" Sakura had caught up to the two at that precise moment. Instinctively she tried to free Vale, charging the assailant. It was a brave thing to do, but the hooded figure simply backhanded her rescue attempt. Sakura landed a few feet away with a loud thud. The stranger finally spoke, his harsh gravelly tones sending a shiver down Sakura's spine.

"Foolish, but brave. I'll make sure you die slowly. I'll enjoy watching the fear light up your pretty eyes again and again… until they don't light up anymore, of course." Sinister hisses indicated that this madman would carry out his threat without a moment's hesitation. Vale became rigid with the thought of Sakura dying before his eyes. Not just because they were now friends, but because this was Sakura, the girl he had watched in the shadows for years. He knew what he had to do.

The next scene played out as a blur for Sakura. Frozen by pain and terror, her attentions were cast on Vale, who was painstakingly reaching into her bag around the psycho's neck. Something red and round was clasped around his hand. And was it her imagination playing tricks on her sight? Or was the stone actually pulsating with an orange glow, steadily becoming brighter and brighter. The last thing she saw before passing out was seeing a blinding flash of orange, and a strange growling faintly reminiscent of Vale. She hoped he would be ok …

After what seemed like forever, the girl on the floor opened her eyes.

"Ooooohh, my head!" Sakura groggily took in her surroundings, suddenly remembering where she was and what had happened before she lost consciousness. The assailant lay still on the floor. Three deep gashes ran along his back, explaining where all the blood splattered around the area had come from. He wasn't breathing. The man had died, with pure horror being his final expression. Vale was slumped next to the wall, but she was relieved to see that he at least was breathing, somewhat. Calling for an ambulance with her phone she inspected how injured he was.

"Vale, can you hear me?! Please, wake up… wake up… Vale!"


	2. Chapter 2

Apologies to you folks you read this in another category. Due to a miscommunication and upload error, this was not published in "Naruto" and ended up somewhere even couldn't locate. We hope you enjoyed the story, and I would like to hear any many opinions as possible as a gift for my friend. He will have the next chapters uploaded as soon as he can.

Also, do not fret! MasterKei has not given up on fan-fiction. In fact, the original author, a marine neology honour student and I have entered into a pact to see who will become published in the real world first. At that point I explained to them that I was already published and have made appearances in television and newspapers, but the honour student insisted that we start the wager anew. So please keep your eyes out for works of MasterKei, which will be published and circulated as soon as I finish my novels/short stories!


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